Just to introduce myself, my name is Steve Purvinas and I am the Federal Secretary of the ALAEA.  This email is being sent to all WA RFDS members who are bcc’d into the email.  Please feel free to email Vinko or I back with any questions you may have.  Vinko is dealing directly with the RFDS Enterprise Agreement and other local issues for you blokes.

 

I understand that your management team are not exactly treating you guys properly over there and want you to know that you have the full support of our staff here in the East to sort the mess out.  I am a little surprised that RFDS have turned this way considering the visit we had about 5 years ago from the NSW managers (I know a different company but same brand) who came to our Bexley office asking us to help them keep their employees happy.

 

As I understand it, they’ve put a crap EA offer to you guys and it has been voted down.  Now, they aren’t making improvements and will leave you hanging unless something is done.  At normal companies you simply threaten Protected Industrial Action and they start to take you seriously.  Being an essential service, this makes it a little harder for you guys.  I think you need to consider it anyway though.

 

Another option is to seek some sort of intervention from the Fair Work Commission.  They could ultimately determine the outcome of the EA chats and you wouldn’t get a vote to accept or reject the decision.  The FWC is stacked with conservatives who tend to lean towards managers and their claims and it may not be the best step to go there at this stage.

 

As for a PIA campaign….if we were to run something…..we’d need to be very careful not to take any action that may disrupt services.  I have some ideas on how to do this, a couple of examples, one pretty stupid but an idea none the less.  The other is serious and we have used it before –

 

•             Replace company uniforms with clown costumes………(could be any costume you like but you’d do it to draw media attention and to piss management off)

•             Have work stoppages with those persons rostered off making themselves available for overtime.  That is, if 3 are rostered on, they strike for the day on the proviso that replacement LAMEs can cover them on overtime.  Eventually you could all be on PIA for every rostered shift, you lose your money for that day but you replace your opposite numbers every day at overtime rates.  You get more money and services are not disrupted.

 

Anyway guys there are lots of ideas……we need to think about them because something needs to happen to prevent the companies continually stonewalling.

 

Cheers

Steve Purvinas

Notice_011_2017_All members_RFDS WA EA2